Chapter II
"Now that you're back in your office, I think it's high time you took a serious report at what the Greek spaceship is like," Said Dimitri, my science advisor. "A look? I didn't even know we had any documents that showed us that sort of thing." Dimitri rubbed his forehead, like he was really annoyed with me. "Don't you remember when we were walking out of the hospital? Oh, nevermind. Just look here," He told me, pointing to a blurry photograph with captions that were obviously Greek, and not Russian.
"This looks more complete than our spaceship," I told Dimitri. He awkwardly scratched his arm. "Uh, well, it has been a few months since you last visited it." I stood up and grabbed my favorite pipe, which was a gift from Portugal after they had stupidly invaded us back in the 200's. I was still young, as all world leaders age incredibly slow for some reason, but I still remembered those years like they were last week. "Don't take me for a fool, Dimitri. There is simply no way we could've built any new parts in such a short time! It would take a few years at least, right?" Dimitri scratched his head.
"Actually, not with our newest technology." I stood up quickly, causing my chair to go flying back into the wall. "Tell me all about this new technology you speak of!" Dimitri cleared his throat. "Well, we're calling it 'Robotics', and what this technology will do for us, at least with the spaceship, is make it much easier to build, using the art of machinery more efficiently." I clapped my hands together in excitement. "Yes, finally! A technology we can beat the Greeks with!" Dimitri only smiled. "Well, I've got to go and check out the newly renovated Royal Labratory, so take care of yourself for me, okay?" I nodded at Dimitri. "You are dismissed, advisor."
I was about half asleep when some idiot flung open the doors to my office, much to my annoyance. "King Rurik, Sir! Chairman Mao of China has sent a video message for you." When I lifted my head off my desk, some low-ranking member of the diplomatic council was standing there, all panicked. What an idiot! Back in my more youthful days, I'd usually execute a man for doing something so foolish. I was only roughly 50 in citizen years, but I still was a lot more lazy than I was about five years ago.
"Bring it in," I said, still tired. the fresh, young council member quickly inserted the tape into the screen behind my desk. "Friend of China, King Rurik, we have recently heard from your diplomats that you have discovered robotics thanks to the genius of your scientists. This is great news, but I must warn you to be very careful now that you have new technology. We have also made recent technological advances, and when news spread internationally it was only a matter of months before we found a Greek spy hiding in one of our labratories, no doubt intending to steal our technology. The Greeks have ill intentions, King Rurik, and I send you this message to caution you. That is all I have to say, so goodbye and good luck, King Rurik."
I bit my thumb, like I always did when I was thinking hard. The Greeks always made the strangest moves. Building up a huge army only to use it defensively? Being secretive and deceptive in a time when nations were trading and being generally friendly with each other? Nothing they did added up, which bothered me. I dismissed the council member, and picked up the phone to call my domestic advisor, who I rarely ever visited with these days. "Mrs. Ketrikop? Increase the science funding, right now! This is urgent!" Mrs. Ketrikop always tried to make a huge deal out of things, but I always made sure she did what I wanted. Because I out of all the Russian people knew, we needed to win this little war.